When contemplating the intricacies of spiritual development, I often find myself drawn to the analogy of a newborn baby. Picture the emergence of a child into the world, complete in their personhood, encompassing body, soul, and spirit. At this initial stage, their essence is pure, like a beautiful canvas awaiting the first brushstroke. A kind of growth begins to happen, marked by the first latch onto the mother’s breast. This initiates a process of learning, with each growth cycle presenting new opportunities for development. Yet, amid these cycles of maturation, a vital question arises: How much attention are we directing toward the nurturing of the soul and spirit, ensuring they evolve in harmonious alignment with the physical self? While meticulous care and attention are given to the physical aspect of an individual, there is a tendency for the soul and spirit to be inadvertently neglected. Consider this: just as a newborn’s physical growth is carefully monitored, so too should be the nourishment and cultivation of their spiritual and soulful aspects. It is a holistic approach, acknowledging that optimal development involves more than the physical alone. In the pursuit of balanced growth, we are called to intentionally invest in the spiritual and soulful aspects of our being to avoid being stuck at the birth phase. It is tragic to wake up 30 years later to the realisation that we are not connected to the spiritual aspects of ourselves. furthermore encountering any aspect of the spirit would appear frightening as a result, so how do we grow holistically? This entails feeding the Spirit and growing the soul through prayer, fasting, kindness, gratitude and love. By doing so, we create an environment where the soul and spirit can thrive, growing in perfect equilibrium with the physical self.
